Twitter's 'more visual tweets' look and feel like Instagram

And why not?

Twitter announced some changes to timelines today that make it easier to interact with tweets, as well as putting photos and Vine videos front and center.

The changes apply to Twitter's mobile apps on iOS and Android, as well as Twitter.com, and they take effect today.

Users scrolling through their timelines will now see previews of tweeted photos and Vine videos, and a tap or a click reveals the full version.

In addition, the buttons to reply, retweet or favorite a tweet are now available from the timeline itself on mobiles, rather than requiring users to tap through to the message to see those options.

Enriching tweets

Twitter revealed the changes on its blog and posted a Vine video showing the improvements in action.

"So many of the great moments you share on Twitter are made even better with photos or with videos from Vine," Twitter VP of Product Michael Sippey wrote in the blog post.

"These rich Tweets can bring your followers closer to what's happening, and make them feel like they are right there with you. We want to make it easier for everyone to experience those moments on Twitter."

Overall, the changes make Twitter look and feel a lot more like rival Facebook's photo-focused Instagram service, though tweeted Instagram photos still won't appear in users' timelines.